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48, 40, 42 and 42... Each of those are the total amount of points that Kobe Bryant scored in four consecutive games since the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns, 99-83, on January 10 (and lost to the Clippers, 102-94, on Saturday night). From what I've heard, KB24 became the oldest player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in three straight games after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 97-92, at STAPLES Center last Friday. Not too shabby. Unfortunately, this scoring streak briefly reminded me of 2006 and 2007...when Kobe was able to do amazing things like score 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January of 2006, despite the fact the Lakers failed to get past the first round of the playoffs later that season and the year after.

Of course, the Lakers' roster somewhat remains intact from their last championship run in 2010 [minus Phil Jackson (now retired) and Lamar Odom...who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks before the new season began last Christmas]. However, unless the Lake Show does something substantial and trade for someone like say, D12 [a.k.a. Superman (sorry Shaq), a.k.a. Dwight Howard], I'd say this is the year that either the Mavericks repeat, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls not-so-surprisingly meet up in this year's NBA Finals (what with each of them currently being No. 1 in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively) or...LeBron James earns that asterisk by finally winning his first title with the Miami Heat in this shortened NBA season. That is all.


Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times